New boy on the block

Pretty much back to himself today - once he'd had a good all over scratch he just wanted to get on with the job and get going. Forwards rather than being a bit hesitant, cheekily looking for trots and canter, we only went for a short ride but had lots of fun.

It's probably because he's such an active lad but the short rides certainly add up, according to my weightape he's lost 15kg in under a fortnight and is certainly looking less like Mr Blobby :)
 
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After a week and a half out he came back in last night. He'd been getting a bit edgy the last couple of days, and yesterday morning came in like something demented - skittish at everything, wild eyed, restless and generally not a happy bunny. My gut feeling was he was hungry despite having plenty of hay in the field and tired. This morning he was like a different boy - calm, settled and far more cheerful. He'd eaten plenty and from the look of his bed and his tail had spent plenty of time laying down and catching up on his beauty sleep.

Turned out, mucked out and then caught and went for a very chilled out ride, even stopping for a pick of grass. We also stopped to talk to someone who'd had a bit of a problem getting her dog back, during which he'd stood like a rock, she thought he was lovely but looked quite a handful!!! I kid you not he'd been marching along on a long rein, stopped when asked, stood still and wasn't even being busy, less of a handful he couldn't be! I do think some of it is his posture and how he looks at things, people don't seem to look beyond it to see what he's actually doing.
 
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carthorse said:
Anyone who knows cobs will appreciate the irony of this - Luka had a major spook and hissy ft at two feed buckets left in front of a gate :rolleyes:.
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Gotta watch those damn buckets - unpredictable little buggers they are.
 

Interesting reaction

The awful weather meant that last night the YO brought in a couple of horses, one of which was in the stable opposite to Luka. The walkway is very narrow and this horse has a long neck so can reach right across, it's caused me problems before turning out in the mornings as it's lunged at Luka...
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A really good morning today. Not big breakthroughs or major achievements, but one of those days when you realise just how good things are now, how happy he is and how much trust is there now.

Started off by leading in between parked cars and a tractor left with it's engine running, he had a doubt but touched my sleeve and walked alongside with no fuss at all. Good to groom and tack up, got on on the first attempt. Had a nice little pick at the grass shoots going down the lane, then a calm ride round the village despite a few things he'd have had grounds objecting to.

When I was turning him back out we stopped to chat to another livery who's tended to admire him from a distance but never been closer than the odd stroke over the fence. So he stands happily having a fuss from someone he hardly knows and thoroughly enjoying it, what an improvement. We were chatting so long I unclipped him so he could have a graze of the patch in front of his paddock and bless him every five minutes or so he'd wander back to check in and have a stroke before going back to grazing. Fussing both of us, gentle, calm, mannerly, no pushing even though he knew we both had treats. Watching him, and seeing the other person's reaction to him, made me realise just how good a lad he is now and how lucky I was to find him 🥰
 
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I'd got him a lovely new soft body brush to use instead of the flick brush he doesn't like, he's so greasy/scurfy now he's shedding that I need to go over him with something after getting loose hair out. Without thinking I'd taken it out of the car to use rather than but it in with his stuff for a few days, as a result it didn't smell of him and was completely unacceptable to the twit. After several attempts at using it, time spent sniffing it, licking it, snorting at it and much spinning around and throwing front legs about I gave up. It's now buried in his grooming kit covered in loose hair that I'd groomed out, I'd forgotten how ridiculous he can be about stuff like this.
 
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Another one of those days when he shows how much he's changed and how good he is.

A friend asked if she could come with us, she's nervous though after some bad experiences and gets very fretful about some things., plus her pony is a lot slower than Luka. Nanny mode engaged! If he got a bit too far ahead he'd stop and wait patiently (I'll put my hand up and say if there was grass nearby I'd let him have a pick while we waited), when we trotted he barely got out of a jog so the other pony wasn't having to hammer along to keep up and I didn't have to keep checking him back. Not one single play spook and he acted as bodyguard past lawnmowers, gardeners, and buses. My friend was delighted that she'd done a new ride with no upset and had a decent length trot without having to chase her pony all the time - to be fair he was really doing his best to keep up and even Luka's joggy road trot is a working trot for many.

I do love this lad and his attitude. He knows when he needs to play it cool and while I think he'd get fed up if it was expected every ride he's happy to do it sometimes as long as other times he can stretch his legs or dance 🥰
 
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A bit of a silly photo unless you're a geek, but where the mud is drying up I could clearly see his walk overtrack. Now bear in mind this isn't his going somewhere walk, this is pootling back to the field alongside me hoping he isn't going to have to walk through the wetter mud and wondering if I'll throw the rope over his neck so he can have a pick of grass before going into the field - should have got pictures of the overtrack when that happens because then his walk means business! IMG_1269.JPG
 
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Yesterday we were just going to go for a short ride on our own, but after having to turn round several times on the lane for traffic we met up with a friend so decided to go for a short ride in company instead. Which turned into a long ride because of Welsh cobbing. Hers decided some walkers on another, nearly parallel, track were very very dangerous and he wasn't going anywhere except maybe home backwards. Luka, despite some doubts, was prepared to go by and give a lead which he followed but he really wasn't relaxing much. When he did seem a bit calmer we decided to turn round and go back. Or maybe not. My friends horse got all unsettled again and Luka turned into a bouncing, plunging lunatic - given the number of branches we have to duck under the chances of going home at less than a strong canter were next to none. So we turned around again and kept going on a ride that took over two hours! Happy cobs, happy riders :) How is it though that after a ride that long he's still fresh as a daisy and actually trying to pick turns away from home? Hopefully with summer not too far away we'll get some long and new rides in, he clearly loves exploring.
 
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I haven't posted for a while, I'm not very good at keeping diaries!

Main news is that we're trying out a new saddle. He's changed shape so much that the Devoucoux, never a great fit, is now miles wrong and although he doesn't show signs of being unhappy with it I can't see how it isn't going to cause problems. However for all that the fit was always questionable this saddle has allowed him to go from dippy backed with no muscle on his back and a weak undercarriage to almost flat backed and a much stronger core - the horse I had 18 months ago would never have fitted the saddle I'm trialling anyway. I will be hanging onto the Devoucoux though, I wouldn't trust him not to decide at some point that he prefers it!

Today, for the first time ever, I got a couple of ear shots! I don't do them because I'm so clumsy I don't trust myself not to drop my phone, but he was stuffing his face in the verge so it was worth a try :)

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carthorse said:
I haven't posted for a while, I'm not very good at keeping diaries!

Main news is that we're trying out a new saddle. He's changed shape so much that the Devoucoux, never a great fit, is now miles wrong and although he doesn't show signs of being unhappy with it I can't see how it isn't going to cause problems. However for all that the fit was always questionable this saddle has allowed him to go from dippy backed with no muscle on his back and a weak undercarriage to almost flat backed and a much stronger core - the horse I had 18 months ago would never have fitted the saddle I'm trialling anyway. I will be hanging onto the Devoucoux though, I wouldn't trust him not to decide at some point that he prefers it!

Today, for the first time ever, I got a couple of ear shots! I don't do them because I'm so clumsy I don't trust myself not to drop my phone, but he was stuffing his face in the verge so it was worth a try :)

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Oh, what a sheen he has on him! Crap, I'm going to have to put more effort into my grooming :oops:.
 
I'm lucky, he's naturally shiny, plus unlike Hogan he was clipped so has a head start on the nice summer coat :) I was more impressed that for once there's no mud in his mane 🤣
 
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I think we've found a saddle

No small feat given how sensitive he is, how big a shoulder and movement we have to accommodate meaning there's less room to fit a saddle, and that I'm not going to fit well in a small saddle and also have some preferences of my own. Add to that he was still quite happy with his old saddle so...
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When I got him the bottom half of his mane was rubbed out, some of it so completely that I wondered if it would grow back properly. Wherever possible I leave his neck uncovered, if I do cover it I use hoods rather than combi rugs and make sure they have enough room in them - which does rather limit the brands I can buy since he has a big neck. It's worked though, he has a lovely mane all along his neck now :)
 
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